"This is now the second major failure in two weeks, leaving thousands of passengers stranded and causing unacceptable delays. Let me be clear, this is outrageous," Gov. Malloy said. "In speaking with MTA and Metro-North, my administration has stressed that every procedure, protocol and engineering solution must get the immediate attention of the most qualified team of experts. It is of the utmost importance that these operating, maintenance, alternative service and customer protocols be completely critiqued and that near term solutions be found to ensure reliable service for Connecticut commuters."

Malloy continued, "It should be noted that these most recent failures punctuate the absolute necessity for replacing this 118-year-old bridge, a central link to the entire Northeast Corridor. We simply cannot afford peak service disruptions like this, which is why we have requested and are aggressively pursuing federal resiliency funding for this exact purpose."

In April, Gov. Malloy announced that the sate of Connecticut applied for $600 million in federal transportation funding to help cover the capital costs of three resiliency, or "hardening," projects central to Connecticut's passenger rail infrastructure along the New Haven Line. Specifically, the state requested $349 million in federal funding to cover 75 percent of the cost of the WALK Bridge Replacement Project. Built in 1896, the WALK Bridge will be replaced with a more resilient "bascule" bridge, which will enhance the safety and reliability of passenger service along the Northeast corridor.